West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park robbery search


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Just in from Tony, and scanner traffic confirms the search:

… SPD currently have containment around the 7700-7800 block of Highland Parkway SW. It appears that there was another robbery in the area. Scanner traffic from the police seems to indicate that the same suspects in several robberies may be involved in this one also. From what I heard the call came out at just before 6:30 for an armed robbery in front of 7789 Highland Parkway. The police arrived very soon after and set up containment to keep the suspects within a specific geographic area. They are described as two males late teens early twenties wearing white bandanas over their face and hoodie type sweatshirts. One of the males had a shot gun. There were a couple of witnesses to the incident and have provided directions lasted traveled. There does not appear to be a car involved. An SPD K9 unit is responding from the north end of Seattle and expects to be on the scene in the next few minutes. It is likely the road closures will be in effect for a little while. At this time I would suggest that people in the area remain inside and make sure their doors are locked.

More as we get it. Regarding those “several robberies” that happened earlier, there were two last Thursday night (discussed on WSB in the context of a helicopter sighting – here’s the post): one at Gas Depot on South Delridge, one at Lucky Seven in White Center; we had asked both investigating agencies to let us know if any surveillance photos were available to show, but hadn’t received any to date. 8:07 PM UPDATE: Per scanner, a K-9 officer lost the scent somewhere on 10th SW so some units have left that part of the scene. 9 PM NOTE: After that, the scanner traffic dwindled to nothing – so there’s no additional information; our original tipster relayed that officers left that area too. Not sure if we will get more information tonight but we will pursue it. WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: This robbery has appeared on the SPD Blotter website, but even less info than we had in this post; we’re checking directly with the Southwest Precinct for any additional details. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: The only additional detail that Lt. Steve Paulsen has is that the suspects are “possibly (2) Hispanic males teens/20’s.” He says “we have a lot of folks citywide working on this” and also working in tandem with King County Sheriff’s Office, since one of the stickups last Thursday was in White Center, but no arrests yet.

29 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park robbery search"

  • datamuse December 16, 2008 (7:32 pm)

    Well, that explains the two police cars I passed on 9th on my way home. O_O
    .
    9th wasn’t closed when I passed through, though.

  • beef December 16, 2008 (7:36 pm)

    2 cars at the store at 9th and Kenyon and another about 2 blocks south.

  • Stephanie December 16, 2008 (7:57 pm)

    WOW! I live right across the street! The cops are in the little deli mart on the corner of Kenyon and Highland PKWY. The guy that runs that store is so nice. I hope he is ok. Thank god I have a very large dog to alert me. I had a feeling some thing like this would happen one of these days. Hope they find the suspects.

  • Sarah December 16, 2008 (8:02 pm)

    Yes, right across the street. The cop cars just left now. What is going on? Anyone know more?

  • datamuse December 16, 2008 (8:05 pm)

    I live not far away from you, Stephanie. Ugh, what a night.

  • Shallie December 16, 2008 (8:10 pm)

    So that’s what was going on! My husband and I came home and saw two cop cars in front of our place. They eventually went down to the grocery store down the block.

    Hope everything’s okay. :-/

  • Sarah December 16, 2008 (8:25 pm)

    WOW, What a small community we are in tonight! The dogs came out and then the cop cars left a little after that. We are behind closed doors so couldn’t tell what was really going on moment to moment, but hope it’s good news that they left. Stay safe everyone.

  • TP December 16, 2008 (8:27 pm)

    I hope they’re caught soon and do a long stretch of time.

  • rykrite December 16, 2008 (8:31 pm)

    Prayers for all involved…
    .
    Tonight I’m glad that we have a giant black dog. Kids can take food out of his mouth and he’s docile, but on a couple of occassions he’s growled at door-to-door solicitors and I have the feeling he saved us some trouble. (He loves the postman, delivery-men, etc., but he seems to have a nose for bad guys.) When I hear news of this locally (though I’m a couple of miles away) I feel much safer because of him. Thanks, Shep!

  • d December 16, 2008 (9:25 pm)

    I just got home. I’m right down the street!!!!!

    Any update, puhleeeeeze???????

    Also, last night I saw police cars patrolling through my alley for the first time ever. I thought it was kind of weird.

    You know Highland Park peeps, and all of SW Seattle for that matter, I hate to bring this up again, but, please, if you do not know who your Block Watch Captain is, please contact Benjamin Kinlow at the SW Precinct and find out.

    Talk to your neighbors and get a group going if there is not a Watch currently existing. It probably won’t stop armed robberies, but it is the beginning of taking back our neighborhoods and sending the right message to these lost kids before somebody gets hurt. An apathetic context is what is allowing this, in part.

    I am deadly serious. We need to activate these Block Watches so that EVERY block is covered.

    This is WAY to close to home.

  • DB December 16, 2008 (9:41 pm)

    Wow – this is so scary! Our teenagers were home alone while this was happening – my husband and I got home around 7:20 and saw police cars at the store as well as the ones blocking the end of Holden and HP. Question – was it the corner store that was being robbed? We like them too – this is so frightening and my husband keeps saying “why can’t they catch them?” And they’re on foot??? Do they live around here???

  • concerned neighbor December 16, 2008 (10:18 pm)

    Isn’t this close to where they want to put the jail? Great…let’s just bring in more convicts to the area.

  • DM December 16, 2008 (10:51 pm)

    Thanks for the updates you were able to pass on. So creepy that the armed robbers are still out there.

    I hope the victims of the robbery are okay.

    And I hope the police keep you/us posted as to whether they have found them or not. The sudden lack of information is disconcerting.

  • Michelle December 16, 2008 (11:46 pm)

    Yikes! We’re just a few blocks away, too. Thanks for breaking this story tonight. We can’t have enough awareness to the things happening in our neighborhoods.

  • WSB December 17, 2008 (12:31 am)

    If not for Tony, honestly, we might not have known at all – we really rely on getting notes/texts/phone calls from people saying “there are officers swarming my neighborhood” etc. — we listen to the scanner MUCH of the time but not all, and with so many frequencies plugged into it (from school buses to fire departments), it’s easy to miss the initial dispatch “armed robbery occurred 2 ago at …” so please let us know what you are seeing and hearing, and we will try our best to find out more. In this case, one reliable overnight contact turns out to be off tonight, so I know that unless I hear something on the scanner (which will be on till we take a quick break in an hour or so), that’s all I’ll be able to find out till checking with precinct management in the morning – TR

  • Sarah December 17, 2008 (8:37 am)

    Yes, thank you Tony! We live right directly across the street from the store and saw the cops pull up as it happened as well, but we didn’t know how to write in to the WSB. How do we do that for future reference? Is there a link or email address that we can keep easily accessible?

    Yes, they want to put a jail in the area, too. Great! All we want to do is fix up the neighborhood and have people outside of it realize it’s not such a bad place and then they want to put a jail in it!

    Any new updates since 7:09am last night?

  • Sarah December 17, 2008 (8:37 am)

    Sorry, meant 7pm last night!

  • beef December 17, 2008 (8:40 am)

    @ sarah

    WSB covers West Seattle 24/7. Got a tip or question about news happening right now? 206-293-6302, or e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com

    It’s on the right if you scroll down a bit.

  • Sarah December 17, 2008 (9:02 am)

    Thanks so much! I think when something happens, you forget where to look to contact the people you need to contact! I’ll keep the info. for safe-keeping but hope that this never happens again.

  • C.R.W December 17, 2008 (11:16 am)

    i live right across the street that explains why i heard gun shots thats just crazy!!!!!!!!!!!

  • beef December 17, 2008 (11:32 am)

    I don’t believe there were any shots fired.

  • WSB December 17, 2008 (11:39 am)

    I just added the link to the SPD Blotter post – which has even less than we originally reported here last night. Also checking with precinct to see if any description info to share.

  • d December 17, 2008 (11:49 am)

    To my Highland Park neighbors:

    If you don’t already have this information, go grab a pen and make note of the following information:

    Your neighborhood association:

    Highland Park Action Committee website:
    http://highlandpk.net

    Meetings are fourth Monday of each month. The next meeting is January 26 at 7:00 pm at the Highland Park Improvement Club at 11th & Holden.

    SPD Community Police Team officer:
    Officer Adonis Topacio
    (Holden to Roxbury)
    386-9764

    City of Seattle Block Watch (Neighborhood Crime Prevention)

    Contact Crime Prevention Coordinator:

    Benjamin Kinlow, 684-7724, email: benjamin.kinlow@seattle.gov

    Call Mr. Kinlow to find out who your Block Watch Captain is or, to set up a Block Watch meeting date and time for your block.

    Block Watch meetings are the place to talk about ongoing crime problems with your neighbors and work to resolve the crime on your block.

    Talk to your immediate neighbors – and then get organized for a meeting time. Set up a “CPTED Block Tour”, so everyone understands the problems on your block and how to fix them.

    Check out web-page: http://www.seattle.gov/police/precincts/southwest/prevention.htm,

    And please share all of this information with others.

    Other neighborhoods in SW Precinct:

    Contact Your CPT Officer:

    Call 615-1976 to find out the name of your CPT Officer, telephone and email

    Set up an appointment with the CPT Officer that works your area. They want to know about the ongoing problems in their area that has not been resolved by calling 911.

    Benjamin Kinlow, 684-7724
    Community Crime Prevention Coordinator
    Seattle Police Department
    Southwest Precinct, 2300 SW Webster St, 98106
    benjamin.kinlow@seattle.gov
    Fax: (206) 733-9324
    Together we can make a difference!

  • d December 17, 2008 (11:53 am)

    @beef & @c.r.w.

    I don’t think there were shots fired or that anyone was hurt. Thank God. I would have expected to see police investigation activity and some tape if that were the case, but I’m hardly an expert on what to expect after an armed robbery. That I’ll admit.

    u

  • Tony December 17, 2008 (12:17 pm)

    Fight fire with fire. Get an alarm system for your place & use it. Get a permit, buy a gun & learn how to use it. The life you save may be your own. Sad but true, it is only going to get worse before it gets better. Economy is driving SOME of this, but not all. Fact is there are people who do not play by the rules and never will. Stay safe. Merry Christmas.

  • d December 17, 2008 (1:21 pm)

    Tony –

    I encourage you to attend the next HPAC meeting on January 26. Or, attending your Block Watch meeting if you care to share your point of view with your neighbors who do not read WSB.

    Just a thought –

  • d December 17, 2008 (1:34 pm)

    Alarm systems are expensive and likely cost prohibitive for many, if not most of the people in this neighborhood, particularly in this economy.

    Community-centered Block Watch email lists and meetings cost nothing and require no permit.

    But most importantly, Block Watch programs are proven and effective at deterring crime. Ask Mr. Kinlow at SPD at the link I provided above.

    PS. I sure hope I see some immediate action from the Highland Park ACTION Committee on this.

  • roberto jose December 18, 2008 (9:09 pm)

    These guys won’t stop until they are arrested. And even upon arrest they won’t be charged with armed robbery. Unless the SPD can procure ample depositions from witnesses willing to testify, the prosecutor will just file misdemeanor charges, and these guy will be back on the streets within hours, literally. You see, the jails in King County are full. And unless these guys discharge their weapons during the commission of a crime, they won’t be charged with armed robbery. Further, if these offenders are juveniles, upon conviction, the most time they will spend incarcerated is 30 days. Oh sure, the SPD will claim they have suspects, but what they won’t tell you is you have to protect yourself – or just be victimized.

  • WTF December 19, 2008 (2:22 pm)

    OK. So I’ve read all the above posts. Some good suggestions, some great suggestions, some just plain stupid. But, at the end of the day, WHAT CAN WE REALLY DO to stop this, prevent it and ensure safe neighborhoods? So many people who live over here, east side of Delridge or west side of Delridge, doesn’t matter, have NO respect for anyone. Kid mouth off, act utterly entitled, adults are, well let’s just say, we know where they get it from. So I ask again what can we REALLY do? I’m worn out. Pissed off. And, tired of criminals and attitude laden a.h.s believing they have the right to what ever they want to. This city is so slow to react AND impact change to crime and spend way too much time “avoiding” that it exists; truly exists and only going to get worse. Can we not learn from other cities? I just don’t get it.

Sorry, comment time is over.